As color photographs have become more popular in recent years, the need for reduction in development time and prevention of environmental pollution has become stronger and stronger.
New systems answering this need for rapid processing, in which a photographic material comprising silver halide emulsions with a high chloride content and a developing solution free from sulfites and benzyl alcohol (which are contained in color developing solution for general color paper use), are used in combination, are disclosed, e.g., in WO 87/04534 and JP-A-64-26837 (the term "JP-A" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application"). Manufactured goods utilizing those systems are slowly entering in the market.
As for the requirement for reduction in environmental pollution, the use of a developing solution free from benzyl alcohol has already furnished a solution to such pollution problems. Moreover, it has been desired to decrease the amount of replenisher used during continuous color development from the standpoint of decreasing the quantity of wastes discharged during the development step or even doing away with the wastes themselves. Methods to be adopted therefor are disclosed, e.g., in JP-A-61-70552, JP-A-63-106655, JP-A-01-302351 and JP-A-01-302352.
However, when reduction in replenishment was carried out in the development of color prints according to such methods, bluish uneven finish is sometimes observed in the edge part of images which should have developed primarily a black to gray color.